Datawiz

Should be interesting. I'm guessing he's looking forward to a fast, horsepower course.

I hope it's fast.

Cashmo

Remember that fast courses can also mean speed maintenance if there aren't any slow corners in between. It'll be nice to have longer courses but I hope they don't go overboard with the speed. We all have a certain speed window that we gear and buy tire sizes for. Regions that only have postage stamp lots to run on would be at a big disadvantage.

My guess for Gary is that he doesn't want to run the GT3 at the Pro Finale for fear the rear axles will break again. Then he has to decide if it's worth bringing it all the way out from CA just for Solo Nats. Nice problems to have.

Jeff

RX7 KLR

Gary got a sugar daddy.

Bimota Guy

jrho is a sugar daddy

TedDBere

Gary's in 5th place in the ProSolo Points Championship with very little chance of catching Matthew and Pat. The GT3 is the car to have in the Pro but without a championship in sight, no reason to risk getting a scratch in the GT3. Besides that, he'd have to wax it.

Better to jump into Jason's Viper and experiment with the better grip in Lincoln.

This might be the last year for the Elise. And if the Viper or the C6Z can't get r done on this surface then it may be their last year too....

(There, that should start some discussions!)

froggy47

By that do you mean a reclassification or that the top drivers will give up on the cars?

TedDBere

I mean the drivers will give up on the cars.

Z06Fix

It's going to be very interesting to see how nationals plays out for the C6Z this year.

Datawiz

Longer concrete airstrip is a perfect setup for the higher horsepower cars. I agree with TBear that someone better get it done. Steve Burger will again pilot mine, as will Joan Clark in SSL. I have very high hopes for Joan. SS is a brutal class to be in, so Steve and I will have our work cut out for us.

I offered my seat in my Z to Danny Popp, but never heard back from him. I'd be more than happy to jump to ASP if he wants to knock heads with the SS guys.

"Maybe" Gary would run my vette. Anyone who knows him, tell him to PM me.

RX7 KLR

I think he would only run a car that has a shot at winning. Although that does not explain his choice with the Viper.

I think some of you guys with HP on the brain are putting way to much hope on the surface winning the event for your camp. While the Elise and GT3 may not be traction limited, the corner grip only helps low powered cars maintain momentum. You don't want to see an open flowing course for those torque-less wonders, you need pinched off corners which take them off the cam followed by long straits.

How quickly some people forget the speed the Lotus showed at Forbes in 2005.

Datawiz

I'm glad you added the edit, cuz I was thinking the same thing.

I'll lay it down now. If a recent national SS champion wants to take their turn in my C6Z, I'll move myself into ASP. Steve Burger is a multiple national tour event winner with 20+ years of experience. In his '86 Vette, he was a force and has beaten Braun. I trust his setup judgment.

In any given weekend, I can beat Steve and he can beat me. We've already proven more than once, that my C6Z is faster than his C5Z, even though his "feels" better. I've beaten Steve in his car too.

That being said, he is way more seasoned than me and more likely to do well at Nationals.

I'll step aside and run ASP if a qualified driver wants to try and put my C6Z into the winner's circle. The car is fast and we will be bringing 2 brand new sets of Hoosiers to run on. Each will be scrubbed at the event on successive practice days.

AverageVetteNut

With 55 + drivers in the class I gave up worrying about what the surface is like, what everyone is driving and WHO is in the class.

I'm just going there and driving. With every event, I get more comfortable in the car, and it gets quicker... that's the only thing that matters in the end. By the 9th, I'll know where my non-prepped car and I stand compared to the field and have that to build next year from.

TedDBere

Problem is you would have to bump Steve to tire warmer...not really fair to Steve, IMHO.

You could probably convince Jr. to come back and try it, he likes the C6Z. And get Diane as your second SSL driver.

Regarding the surface, Jason's right about the grip and a light car. Ever try to catch an Elise on roadcourse twisties?

Today's course designers are more concerned with "flow" than driver skill...except maybe Strano who always puts a couple braking-skill/sooner-to-the-gas sections into the course. The Toledo Pro was a great example with two spots that severely penalized carrying too much speed, following fast sections, into the elements by forcing you to be late to the gas for the next high speed section. That course was fun and gave a lot of experienced, top drivers, the shakes! Even though I coned away a second on Sunday I had a blast dropping from 10th to 17th...because the courses were fun.

AverageVetteNut

+1 on Toledo... that was a blast!